We’ve all had those moments when a favorite holiday comes along, and we see our name on the schedule to work. When an IT team leader found out his whole crew would have to work the upcoming 4th of July, however, he planned for an epic celebration.
The Lowdown
“Eric” runs an Information Technology (IT) team. On June 13th, 2022, Eric found that his team would need to be available on the 4th of July. He kindly replied that his team had that day scheduled off.
After informing his immediate superiors that he intended to email the CEO, he sent an email and found out the CEO was on vacation. His assistant, however, says he’ll look into the situation as soon as he gets back. Knowing they’d all have to work, Eric tells his team that it’ll be work from home, and they’ll schedule his cellphone as primary so that if any calls come in, he’ll receive the majority of them.
Eric wasn’t expecting many calls considering he never sent an email to inform customers that the IT department would be working over the holiday. The following day Eric was told that his entire team would have to be at the office and that no one would be allowed to work from home. When Eric asked why they had to come in, the “Bad VP” told him she wanted to ensure no one played video games while at work. For emphasis, Eric admits that his team usually works two-thirds of the week from home, and video game playing is typical for his crew.
Go Wild
Feeling frustrated with the treatment of his team, Eric went directly to the “Bad VPs” office and was floored by what he heard. “It’s just IT; you guys don’t have lives,” is what the Bad VP said, according to Eric.
He reported this conversation to his direct VP and heard him say, “Get Creative.” Eric says he has worked with the man for a long time, and “Get Creative” is code for “screw Corporate.”
After getting clearance to have an office party for the men and women who’d have to work, Eric had the green light to use the new company credit card to pay for the party. The “Bad VP” said to Eric, “Thanks for understanding. And yes, I would expect a party if I had to come in on the 4th. Just remember, no alcohol or fireworks on company property.”
Plans Evolve
Eric’s team works from their office building. Along with their office, it sports a nice gym and a large back patio. The county line also runs along a creek with a cute footbridge and an excellent open field beyond that. This amenity gave Eric all sorts of fun ideas.
Eric tells his team that they won’t need anything for the upcoming holiday unless they want something unique and that their family and friends are welcome to drop by to celebrate. He informed them that it would be a non-alcoholic event but that fireworks were welcome.
The 4th came along, and Eric’s team didn’t lift a finger for work. They took seven calls from the Bad VP to ensure they were handling the phones. They played video games, watched movies, and talked until 6 p.m. when the food arrived.
Now Eric didn’t just order some burgers and brats. The guy went out of his way to get some serious celebration food. We’re talking pizza, brats, serious burgers, BBQ brisket, smoked ribs and sausage, au gratin potatoes, green beans with bacon and onions, potato salad, and coleslaw.
Eric said everyone was having a great time, and even his direct VP stopped by for fun. He even brought water balloons for the children to enjoy.
Time to Pay Up
Around 8:30 PM, when it started getting darker, the VP told everyone to cross the footbridge into the next county and off company property, and they used a wooden board as a launch pad for the bigger fireworks. Eric made sure everyone had clocked out at 8 PM sharp after taking one last call from Bad VP and letting her know, “You were the only one to call us today, and everyone’s out back enjoying the shindig.”
She replied, “As long as there’s no alcohol or fireworks on company property, I do not care.”
Eric told everyone to take some leftovers home, as nearly half the food was still left. At about 10:30 PM, everyone started heading home, and a small group, including Eric’s VP, stayed to clean up. They laughed about the “waves” the party would make with the bosses.
On Tuesday, Eric submitted his expense report to his VP. This email eventually made its way to the Bad VP and the CIO. While Eric estimates that the party cost well over $6,000, he admits that because of his party, there’s now a new rule in place: anything over $4,000 must get prior approval from the VP and the financial department.
He also says that Bad VP got a severe dressing down for her comments about the IT team and that she may be fired or forced to resign, although he doesn’t mention whether or not that actually happened.
There’s not much employees like about work more than an awesome in-office party. Especially one that’s catered and can make it work without violating the rules. Eric’s story resonated with a lot of people.
Openings
One eager commenter was wondering if Eric’s company had any job openings. “Can I work for you? This story is magical.”
Well-Played
Another contributor thought Eric did a marvelous job handling the situation. “I’m not even vaguely qualified to work IT though I have finally been around long enough that ours has learned they can skip. Have you tried restarting etc. I lost it at over 4k. I’ve worked for plenty of bad VPs and companies that lost the plot on time management. I got serious vicarious pleasure from this – well played and well told.”
Alcohol-Free
One user had a person inquire whether they could eat brisket and pizza, and they replied, “I can. I can also eat bratwurst and greatly appreciate an alcohol-free event.”
Work-Life Balance
Someone knows a good company when they work at one. “That’s one of the reasons that I love the company I’m with right now. From the top down, they insist on a work-life balance… and mean it.”
Amazing ROI
Getting a great return on your investment can be challenging, but one person pointed out just how easy it could be for Eric. “
The funny thing is…For $6K, this guy created one of the best team-building events ever. A speaker alone could easily be $5K. A retreat could cost $20-50K.
If even one person decides to stay with the company for another year because of this event, that’s a 4X ROI.”
Boss Side
A curious individual pointed out, “It probably helps that the CEO (who was ALSO on vacation during the 4th) took their side. I’m sure employees probably appreciate when upper management looks out for them.”
Good Management
One forum participant pointed out that being a good manager is relatively simple. “My general philosophy is a good team is like teeth: if you don’t care for them, they’ll make a mess of things on their way out.”
Shawshank
Eric’s story resonated so well that one person wrote a Shawshank Redemption-style epitome.
“And that’s how it came to pass that on the holiday of the Fourth of July, the IT crew that kept the company running in the spring of ’22 wound up sitting in a row at 7 o’clock in the evening, eating fresh and hot Texas style BBQ, courtesy of the hardest VP that ever walked a turn at [Company]:
“As long as there’s no alcohol or fireworks on company property, go wild.”
The colossal jerk even managed to sound magnanimous. We sat and ate with the fireworks in our eyes and felt like free men. We could have been celebrating the day at one of our houses. We were the lords of all creation. As for Eric, he spent that evening handling the phone, a strange little smile on his face, watching us eat his food.
You could argue he’d done it to curry favor with the upper management or make a few friends among us workers. Me? He just did it to feel normal again, if only temporarily.
Mad Respect
One IT person was impressed with how Eric handled everything from start to finish. “Everyone wants a day off to relax with friends and family. I’m in IT and spend most of my time at work and home on the computer. I still had the 4th of July off and spent the day hiking and enjoying life to its fullest.
Everyone deserves equal respect, full stop. We all have lives outside of work. Just because I enjoy video games doesn’t make my time worth less than someone who enjoys watching football. Eric, mad respect for how you handled that.”
Long Way
One IT specialist wants people to know how far a good review goes. “Pro tip to anyone who isn’t in IT… If you send a thank you email saying how well we did or were able to help you, that goes a long way (even if it’s a brief email). We get SO MANY negative emails and feedback because, obviously, people are already pissed off when we get there, and usually, those get taken with a grain of salt. But positive ones are few and few between and are noticed.”
Remember to copy our boss, too. That negative email filter also usually gets applied to what they hear.”
One individual responded perfectly to “Bad VPs” nasty comments about IT people. “You guys don’t have lives.”
“Because you’re the one strangling it to death!”
Not Complicated
It’s simple to figure out how to treat people. Usually, we learn it when we’re little, and it’s often referred to as “The Golden Rule.” Sometimes it gets lost in translation, though, especially when management doesn’t see their under-departments as equal. Every person on earth has the same value because we’re all living. Managers will always bat for their teams and do right by them when they understand that. Bravo to Eric for going above and beyond for his team!
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